Attorney General Malami says hoodlums wearing military attire may be responsible for Lekki shooting
The nation’s number one attorney says the attackers may have been hoodlums in disguise.
Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, says it is possible that the men caught on tape firing into a crowd of peaceful protesters at the Lekki toll on October 20, 2020, were hoodlums masquerading as soldiers.
Various reports say scores were left injured on the night after the lights around the Lekki toll were switched off and cameras were confiscated.
The protesters were calling for an end to police brutality with the ‘End SARS’ clarion call.
The shooting sparked outrage locally and internationally and put government officials on the defensive.
Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu who blamed the incident on “forces beyond his control” has gone on to admit that soldiers from a nearby barrack carried out the attack.
The military has also passed the buck, saying in a statement that it was invited to enforce the curfew in Lagos by the governor, after police officers had been left on the run with their offices burnt.
During an interaction with journalists on Monday, November 3 in Abuja, AGF Malami said an investigation into the Lekki shooting is underway.
He was quoted saying that it is “pre-emptive” to conclude that there had even been shootings, adding that “hoodlums” may have been hired to create a scene.
“You cannot rule out the possibility of perhaps hoodlums that set in to create a scene… could equally partake in the process,” the AGF was quoted as saying, suggesting that hoodlums adorned military fatigues on the night.
An estimated 60 people reportedly died across the country during the two-week long protests.
State governments have inaugurated judicial panels of inquiry to probe decades of police brutality and extrajudicial killings.
Pulse.ng
Discussion about this post